The present invention relates to a system for manufacturing connection wires and, more particularly, to a system for manufacturing connection wires to interconnect devices in an electric control board, a switch board, a distribution board and the like.
Connection wires manufactured by a conventional connection-wire manufacturing system are terminated at the respective terminals by press-connecting terminals 2 and marked with wire connecting information, like connection wires 1A to 1C, and those are connected by connecting pieces 4, as shown in FIG. 1. In those wire connecting information 3A to 3C, 3A designates a wire number; 3B a connecting device position; 3C the terminal number of the connecting device.
It is a common practice that the wire connecting the devices in an electric control board is marked at the wire terminal with the line number and the other information before it is connected to the press-connecting terminals. In manufacturing a connection wire line having a number of the connection wires with the same length and the same mark connected at both ends to the press-connecting terminals with the same shape and the same size, various automatic systems for previously manufacturing the connection wires are available on the market. Such connection wires are effective when the same type of the wire conductors are produced on the mass-production basis. However, many electric control boards are generally tailor-made, so that the connection wires usually manufactured have different lengths, different marked designations and different shapes of the press-connecting terminals. In this respect, the above-mentioned automatic system is inappropriate. Also, since the terminal-processed connection wires are indivisually separated. Therefore, it is troublesome and time-consuming work to take out the connection wires necessary for storing, handling and sorting the wires when those are connected. To solve this problem, there is an approach to manufacture and arrange the connection wires in an inverse direction to that of the wire connecting work, to connect the terminal end of the n-th wire to the starting end of the (n+1)-th wire after the respective ends of the wires are press-connected to the press-connecting terminals, and to wind the connected one around a drum. This approach forms a single connection-wire line with the reverse arrangement of the connection wires by taking account of the succeeding manufacturing processes. This results in easy handling of the wires after the connection, eliminating the need for considering the wiring sequence, minimizing mal-wiring by untrained workers, and providing easier and more efficient wiring, since the wiring job is done simply by pulling out the wires from the drum and by connecting the wires while checking the marks on the wire to identify a connection device position, terminal number, etc. In connection with the terminal process by this approach, the press connecting terminal 2 of the n-th connection wire 1A is connected to the press connecting terminal 2 of the (n+1)-th connection wire by means of a coupling piece 4, as shown in FIG. 1. Subsequently, the (n+1)-th wire is connected to the (n+2)-th terminal in similar manner.
Thus, if the conventional terminals are used, it is necessary to connect the terminals by means of the coupling pieces 4, as shown in FIG. 1. For this reason, the number of terminal selection units for the connection before the terminal is press-connected and the number of press-connecting units for the connection after the press-connection of the terminal, must be the kinds of the terminals used. The structure of the connecting the terminals by the coupling pieces is complicated. Additionally, when the terminals are of the end-open type, it is impossible to connect them by the coupling pieces. In this case, many kinds of the press-connecting terminals must be purchased. This poses problems of storing method and higher cost.